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Collective Lens

Also from White Noise (which I am really enjoying) these beautiful lines about tourist hotspots:

“Being here is a kind of spiritual surrender. We see only what the others see. The thousands who were here in the past, those who will come in the future. We’ve agreed to be part of a collective perception. This literally colors our vision. A religious experience in a way, like all tourism.”

That was the experience coming face to face with Monalisa or David. Walking up to Rialto Bridge, looking into the city from Sacre Coeur , the Parthenon and so many others. There is no way to see these places or objects except through the collective gaze of everyone who has or will see it. You simply cannot come to your own conclusion about it or leave with an impression that you can claim to be private, novel or unknown. It is impossible to form any sense of intimacy with them. So you have to ask yourself, why even bother to be one among millions. I have experienced such places and things as being devoid of life and energy in a way. The intensity of our collective gaze seems to be snuffed out the essence of what we are meant to admire and be in awe of. 

I have had two opportunities in my life to visit Thirupati and come in the presence of the deity for what seems like an extremely short period of time considering the wait and effort it takes to get there. While millions have come to that exact same spot for hundreds of years, both of the times I hade the privilege were unique, personal and deeply moving. It was as if I had experienced the act of being present near the deity in a way only I could. I believe that is how every person feels about it - millions upon millions of way to experience the same moment. Reading these lines from DeLillo brought this highly contrasting experiences to mind. 


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